Visiting activists from Japan have expressed hope that Tokyo will emulate Manila's rejection of U.S. bases two decades ago, citing mainly the negative social impacts of maintaining the installations and the Philippines' successful conversion of the sites into economic hubs.

Mitsuo Sato of the Japan Peace Committee said although convincing the Japanese government to scrap the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty is a difficult challenge, he is "hopeful" about it, noting the growing public opinion against the presence of the U.S. bases.

Besides opposing the bases, they also want Japan to end its reliance on nuclear power.